DIY food hoppers?

[filly77]

Does anyone know how to make a home made food hopper?

I have breeder mice and rats and currently use food dishes but that produces a lot of wasted/soiled food.

They are in reptile tanks, and I'd need one that could be set inside of the cage or hanging from the side as the screen tops are too flimsy to hold a wire hopper that would attach and hang down.

Any ideas/plans/pics would be greatly appreciated!!!

[Patrick Long]

Use chicken wire (they call it construction cloth on here), make a box (thats in the shape of a stack-o-money). So basically it will look like a giant plus symbol, until you fold the sides up.

does that make any sense?

[littleindiangirl]

We call it hardware cloth, 1/2" for rats, 1/4" for mice. I do it a lot like Pat said, but rather instead of making all the cuts, I just bend it, making 4 corners for an open ended box, then I cut the sides, fold one side over for the top and bottom, and voila. I suppose I could make a quick photo shoot of one I make today. Maybe that will make more sense.

[Gloryhound]

Don't ask for chicken wire or you will end up with the wrong stuff. Chicken wire is a lot more flimsy and generally is diamond shape opening. You could really easily build a rack and they are so much easier to clean than tanks! I just built two 6 tub racks today! Cost is about $100.00 each encluding tubs. That is less than 20 dollars each and I use the cement mixing tubs which are huge! Next week if I have home time I plan on adding a watering system instead of using bottles and that looks like another $40.00 per rack with how things are pricing out right now.

[ch312]

Use chicken wire (they call it construction cloth on here),

if people were using chicken wire, they would say chicken wire instead of hardware cloth as there is a huge difference.

1/2" hardware cloth cut into 10" (depending on the enclosure height) by 6" rectangle. make it look like a cylinder and zip tie it together. cut a circle for the bottom and wire it on.

fill with food and hang it with wire from the top of the enclosure with the top being nearly tight to the lid so they cant get in it.

[Patrick Long]

if people were using chicken wire, they would say chicken wire instead of hardware cloth as there is a huge difference.

Do I smell attitude on that sentence???

[PigsnPythons]

I just shaped mine into a cylinder (it seemed easier than trying to make a square). Also, I put my water bottles in the food hoppers too, and just put the lab block around them. So far this has worked out great.

[ch312]

Do I smell attitude on that sentence???

LOL...dont cry

chicken wire and hardware cloth look nothing alike...

[filly77]

hi everyone thanks for the ideas, I will get some wire and attempt to make one.

[MarkS]

A cylinder shape is a lot easier to do. Cut a square of 1/2" or 1/4" hardware cloth then you can use thin wire, like phone wire, to kind of sew the opposite edges together to form the cylinder. Then use either wooden plugs or tuna fish cans to plug the ends. Stand it up in the corner and there you have a feeder that will let your rodents eat without them wasting and burying all the food.